Helicopter landing shuts down traffic on 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles

Freeway lanes were shut down after a helicopter made an emergency landing in South Los Angeles Thursday night.

The helicopter touched down on the southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway, just north of the 105 Freeway interchange at around 8:30 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Three people, including the pilot, were aboard the small chopper when it made the emergency landing. They were able to exit the aircraft without injuries, authorities said.

The aircraft, a 2011 Robinson R44 II, took off from the Hawthorne Airport at 7:35 p.m.

The pilot, Bruce Kafil, told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo he was taking a couple on an aerial tour of the city when they suddenly experienced power loss.

“I instructed my passengers to get out right away because I feared a possible collision from oncoming traffic,” Kafil recalled. “I had [the couple] go as far south as we reasonably could but the main rotor blade was still spinning and it made contact with a bus.”

A SigAlert that shut down all southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway was later lifted.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene and worked to remove the downed helicopter. At least one of the helicopter’s blades appeared damaged.

Crews were seen lifting the chopper with a crane and placing it onto the flatbed of a tow truck.

“There were motorists on the road at the time of the incident,” said CHP officer Bobby Eurin. “Officers did respond swiftly to stop traffic to avoid a major injury collision. It’s not every day that you see a helicopter land on the freeway.”

“We landed safely,” Kafil said with relief. “Everybody walked away. I’m very happy to be alive and to have my passengers as well.”

No injuries were reported from the incident. Traffic was backed up for miles as authorities worked to clear the scene.